In the Department of German and Russian.

Unless otherwise specified, all courses are conducted in German.

Associate Professors James McIntyre and Ursula Reidel-Schrewe; Visiting Instructor Christine Watt; Language Assistant Sara Kühne

The German program focuses on the establishment of a firm foundation in the language as the basis for further study in the literature and culture of the German-speaking countries. While the emphasis may vary after the intermediate level, continued practice and improvement in the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) are inherent goals of instruction in courses taught in the target language. Upper-level courses also seek to develop ability in literary and cultural analysis and understanding. The German studies major gives students the flexibility to include approved courses taught in English toward the major.

Students are urged from the outset to enhance their language skills and cultural awareness through study abroad, attendance at the German table, and participation in extracurricular activities. The January Program in Konstanz, offered intermittently, gives students who have completed three semesters of German (127) at least a brief exposure to life in Germany while living with a German family and attending classes at a local Gymnasium. Majors are expected, and minors are strongly encouraged, to spend at least one semester on an approved program abroad. The German faculty welcomes inquiries from all students regarding the choice and timing of foreign study options in the German-speaking countries.

Achievement Test: If a student offers a foreign language for entrance credit and wishes to continue it in college, that student must either have taken the College Board SAT-II test in the language or take the placement test during orientation.

Requirements for the Major in German Language and Literature
Nine semester courses in German numbered above German 127, including German 128, 131, 135, 231, 232 or 234, at least two courses numbered 300 or above, and German 493 or 494. See note 4 below with regard to transfer of courses toward the major.

Requirements for the Major in German Studies
Ten semester courses, including German 128, 131, 231, 232, 234, 493 or 494, one literature course numbered 135 or above, and three additional courses chosen either from the German curriculum or from courses with a substantial German component in other disciplines. The latter courses must be approved in advance by the major advisor in German. Examples of such courses in the current Colby Catalogue include, but are not limited to, Government 257, 262, History 215, 221, 222, 223, 224, 421, and Philosophy 359. See note 4 below with regard to transfer of courses toward the major.

Requirements for the Minor in German
Five semester courses numbered above German 127, including German 128, 131, 135, 232 or 234, and one literature course at the 300 level or above.

German majors are expected, and minors strongly encouraged, to spend at least one semester in a German-speaking country on a program approved by the Off-Campus Study Office and the department.

The following statements also apply:
(1) A student may not major in both German and German studies.
(2) The point scale for retention of both majors and the minor is based on all required and approved courses numbered beyond German 127.
(3) No major or minor requirement may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
(4) Requests for transfer of courses from other institutions, including study abroad, will be evaluated by the major advisor in German on an individual basis.
(5) All majors in the department must take at least one course in the major approved by the major advisor each semester until graduation.

Teacher Certification: Students desiring certification for teaching German should consult the Department of German and Russian and the Education and Human Development Program.

COURSE OFFERINGS

125f    Elementary German I    Basic comprehensive course for students with little or no previous knowledge of German. Development of all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Introduction to contemporary life in the German-speaking countries. Audio and video material accompanies textbook instruction; exercises in the Language Resource Center may be part of daily preparation. Four credit hours.    C. WATT

125Jj    Elementary German I    Basic comprehensive course for students with little or no previous knowledge of German. Development of all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Introduction to contemporary life in the German-speaking countries. Audio and video material accompanies textbook instruction; exercises in the Language Resource Center may be part of daily preparation. Four credit hours.    C. WATT

126s    Elementary German II    Basic comprehensive course for students with little or no previous knowledge of German. Development of all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Introduction to contemporary life in the German-speaking countries. Audio and video material accompanies textbook instruction; exercises in the Language Resource Center may be part of daily preparation. Prerequisite: German 125. Four credit hours.    REIDEL-SCHREWE

127f    Intermediate German I    Continued practice in speaking and listening skills; grammar review; readings and conversation based on topics from German literature; emphasis on the practical use of the language. Prerequisite: German 126 or appropriate score on the College Board German SAT-II test. Four credit hours.    S. WATT

128s    Intermediate German II    Written and oral exercises will focus on the formation of correct, idiomatic structures. Increased emphasis on listening as a corollary of speaking. Readings of increasing length will be used as the basis for discussion and writing assignments. Prerequisite: German 127. Four credit hours.    S. WATT

130s    Conversation Group    Intended for students who would like merely to retain and reinforce their skills in the language, the course will use a variety of written and visual materials to stimulate conversation and review practical vocabulary. Does not count toward the language requirement or the majors/minor in German. Prerequisite: German 127. Nongraded. One credit hour.    KUHNE

131f    Conversation and Composition    Emphasis on oral expression and facility in writing. Vocabulary building through reading and discussion of short texts. Prerequisite: German 128. Four credit hours.    REIDEL-SCHREWE

132j    German Language and Culture in Konstanz, Germany    Intensive language and culture study at the Humboldt-Gymnasium in Konstanz, Southern Germany. Daily language instruction by director, reading and discussion of texts relevant to the cultural environment, and participation in regular German Gymnasium classes. Excursions to historical landmarks, such as the St. Gallen monastery in Switzerland and the Romanesque churches on the island Reichenau in the Lake of Constance, are an integral part of the program. Students live with German families. Estimated cost: $1600; $600 deposit due by October 20th. Prerequisite: German 127 and permission of the instructor. Three credit hours.    REIDEL-SCHREWE

[135]    Introduction to German Literature    Readings in all three genres: drama, prose, and poetry. Designed to develop skills in literary analysis and close reading of texts and to introduce writings of major authors representative of their periods. Continued practice in conversation. Prerequisite: German 128 or equivalent. Four credit hours.  L.    

[155]    The Crisis of Modernity    Philosophical and literary texts, film, and art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries as related to the threatened concept of the subject or the self. How developments in philosophy, psychology, and technology, as well as the increased prominence of the metropolis in modern life, disrupted the notion of a coherent, consistent, and autonomous self. Conducted in English; no knowledge of German required. Does not fulfill the language requirement or count toward the major/minor in German. Three credit hours.  L.    

[231]    Advanced German    Comprehensive review of all aspects of German grammar with attention to specific grammatical problems and usage of a more specific vocabulary. Close reading of short texts; practice in free composition and writing on directed themes. Prerequisite: German 131 or 135. Four credit hours.    

232s    Survey of German Culture    From the Middle Ages to the Weimar Republic, the course deals chronologically with the major trends in German history and culture as reflected in literature, art, music, and philosophy. Reading of German expository prose, accompanied by documentary texts and short films. Students contribute through reports and improvised dialogues. Prerequisite: German 135. Four credit hours.    S. WATT

[234]    Post-War German Culture in Literature and Film    An introduction to German life, culture, and history by focusing on the specifically German concept of "Heimat" (homeland). Critical analysis of the TV series Heimat (1984) by the renowned filmmaker Edgar Reitz is accompanied by readings of historical documents and literary texts such as Gunter Grass's Katz und Maus and Bernhard Schlink's Der Vorleser. Continued practice in conversation; transition to more formal writing. Prerequisite: German 135. Four credit hours.    

330s    Current Topics    Practice in reading and discussion for students at the advanced level. Source materials include newspaper and magazine articles, recent German films, television broadcasts, and the Internet. Does not count toward the language requirement or the majors/minor in German. Prerequisite: German 131. Nongraded. One credit hour.    KUHNE

[331]    Business German    Introduction to the terminology necessary to understand the socioeconomic structure of German society. Information about the banking system, the structure of corporations, social protection, the media, and the code of behavior in the German business world. Discussion of the contrasts between German and American business policies as factors of cultural difference. Prerequisite: German 231. Three or four credit hours.    

333f    Contemporary Germany    Germany's political, socioeconomic, and cultural landscape as revealed by German Web sites. Topics include political geography, population, government, European integration, and German-American enterprises, as well as education, the media, and the arts. Discussion of issues such as disparities after unification, the integration of foreigners, the social security system, similarities and differences with the U.S., traditional values, and fragmentation of national identity. Prerequisite: A 200-level German course. Four credit hours.    REIDEL-SCHREWE

[353]    18th-Century German Literature    From the Enlightenment to the Classical period. Close reading and interpretation of works by Lessing, Kant, Herder, Goethe, and Schiller. Three or four credit hours.  L.    

[355]    19th-Century German Literature    From Romanticism to Realism. Comparative reading of works by Novalis, Eichendorff, Kleist, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Stifter, Keller, and Büchner. Analysis will focus on the changing conception of nature and the individual. Four credit hours.  L.    

[358]    20th-Century German Literature    A recent topic: German Drama from Hauptmann to Frisch. Other authors include Frank Wedekind, Arthur Schnitzler, Georg Kaiser, Bertolt Brecht, and Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Four credit hours.  L.    

491f, 492s    Independent Study    Individual projects in areas where the student has demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Two to four credit hours.    FACULTY

493s    The Image of America in German Literature and Film    Various images of the United States of America as evidenced in German literature and film of the 19th and 20th centuries. Emphasis on construction of self and other, and the use and potential transcendence of stereotypes. Prerequisite: A 200-level German course. Four credit hours.  L.    S. WATT

[494]    Senior Seminar    Conclusion of the study in the field of German with a research paper on a literary work or a study of a specific cultural phenomenon. In the seminar session students explain their topics, discuss the different aspects of their project, report on the progress of their research, and receive suggestions from the instructor and students on sorting, organizing, introducing, and discussing material and on articulating and defending an argument. Four credit hours.  L.